exnailpounder wrote:I would say as far as brazing characteristics, there was no difference...both "welded" the same but I used ALBr on this repair because of the strength advantage. I bought some ALBr on a whim when I was at the welders candy store and was itching to try it. I have used SilBr with great results and no problems but I can definitely see the merit in using ALBr for certain things. What did you use on that lathe shipswheels again?

Great job on both weld & finishing hope customer was impressed - quick question - why do you guys use aluminum bronze over " normal " nickel ? - I tried finding some here just to try but so far have not found any - I've always used nickel on cast where it can't be fusion welded with great results in terms of strength & machine ability - we do have bronze of that type in the UK but have only ever seen it in round bar & flat stock form - never welding rod.

noddybrian wrote:Great job on both weld & finishing hope customer was impressed - quick question - why do you guys use aluminum bronze over " normal " nickel ? - I tried finding some here just to try but so far have not found any - I've always used nickel on cast where it can't be fusion welded with great results in terms of strength & machine ability - we do have bronze of that type in the UK but have only ever seen it in round bar & flat stock form - never welding rod.

If I remember correctly, a lot of times bronze is used because it doesn't have any cracking issues like nickel does. A lot of times it is a last resort if your nickel welds have failed and cracked.

A student now but really want to weld everyday. Want to learn everything about everything. Want to become a knower of all and master of none. Instagram: @farmweldingNick

noddybrian wrote:Great job on both weld & finishing hope customer was impressed - quick question - why do you guys use aluminum bronze over " normal " nickel ? - I tried finding some here just to try but so far have not found any - I've always used nickel on cast where it can't be fusion welded with great results in terms of strength & machine ability - we do have bronze of that type in the UK but have only ever seen it in round bar & flat stock form - never welding rod.

Thanks Like normal, the customer said "that's looks great" and then really didn't look at it again.I guess people who don't do metal work don't realize it's often difficult to do

I can't say why others use it, I did a little reading and it had good qualities while being easy to get - only about US-$15 per pound.

Nickel tig rod wasn't as easy to get so I just went with Al-Bronze-A2

Dave J.

Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~

It's a shame when people don't appreciate the effort & attention to detail involved in repairs such as yours - at least you get professional pride in a job well done - funny on the rods - over here nickel has been used for as long as I can remember & is easy to get & not too expensive - aluminum bronze is unheard of - last time I asked I got " that look " much like when I asked when 4943 might be available ! give it another 10 years or so people may have heard of it - we always seem a long way behind on welding related things.

noddybrian wrote:It's a shame when people don't appreciate the effort & attention to detail involved in repairs such as yours - at least you get professional pride in a job well done - funny on the rods - over here nickel has been used for as long as I can remember & is easy to get & not too expensive - aluminum bronze is unheard of - last time I asked I got " that look " much like when I asked when 4943 might be available ! give it another 10 years or so people may have heard of it - we always seem a long way behind on welding related things.

I should be more specific - the stick welding rods, nickel 99 and 55, are easily found at the local hardware store.

They are common enough that they're sitting on the open shelf so a person can buy a handful by the pound like the other rods.

Some people have said that knocking off the flux makes them a tig rod - but I have no first-hand experience with that, so I decided against trying it for a customer project.

Alum.Bronze tig rod was listed to work so I figured that way was the safest route.

Dave J.

Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~

noddybrian wrote:It's a shame when people don't appreciate the effort & attention to detail involved in repairs such as yours - at least you get professional pride in a job well done - funny on the rods - over here nickel has been used for as long as I can remember & is easy to get & not too expensive - aluminum bronze is unheard of - last time I asked I got " that look " much like when I asked when 4943 might be available ! give it another 10 years or so people may have heard of it - we always seem a long way behind on welding related things.

I got "that look" when I asked for 4943 at a new LWS about 2 weeks ago.. The wise guy salesman said there is no such thing and kind of smiled. There was another guy standing in line next to me who told the guy he was wrong and told me about another store about 3 miles away that had it so I walked out and went to the other store and got it. Gosh that felt good.

noddybrian wrote:It's a shame when people don't appreciate the effort & attention to detail involved in repairs such as yours - at least you get professional pride in a job well done - funny on the rods - over here nickel has been used for as long as I can remember & is easy to get & not too expensive - aluminum bronze is unheard of - last time I asked I got " that look " much like when I asked when 4943 might be available ! give it another 10 years or so people may have heard of it - we always seem a long way behind on welding related things.

I got "that look" when I asked for 4943 at a new LWS about 2 weeks ago.. The wise guy salesman said there is no such thing and kind of smiled. There was another guy standing in line next to me who told the guy he was wrong and told me about another store about 3 miles away that had it so I walked out and went to the other store and got it. Gosh that felt good.

I hear you - I had to explain 4943 to the guys at my local store too.

They are pretty nice to me though and assumed I might know what I was saying

Dave J.

Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~